Flexible piping (e.g., polybutylene, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride, cross linked polyethylene, etc.) is commonly used to facilitate the transportation of fluids such as water, oil, and gas from one area to another. Such piping is generally elongated and manufactured to have standardized diameters, such as three-eighths inch, one-half inch, five-eighths inch, and one inch. Many applications require inflowing fluids to be diverted in several different directions or to several different areas, thus requiring a plurality of pipes to be coupled together to create a manifold. Accordingly, many applications require the flexible piping to be cut into different sectional parts and subsequently joined together using pipe fittings, such as metal insert fittings or tee fittings. A common procedure for coupling flexible pipes to pipe fittings involves inserting an end of a pipe fitting into an opening of a flexible pipe, placing a coupling ring around the flexible pipe at a location above the pipe fitting, and subsequently crimping the coupling ring to deform it, thereby securing the pipe to the pipe fitting.
Traditional crimping tools generally comprise a pair of clamp heads, a pair of clamping jaws within the respective clamp heads, and a pair of handles for drawing the heads together. The clamp heads and clamping jaws generally define the crimping portion of such crimping tools. Such traditional crimping tools generally work by drawing the clamp heads of the tool toward one another using leverage from the handles in order to compress the coupling around its entire circumference. In recent years, power-crimping tools have been developed which utilize an electric motor, instead of handles, to draw the clamp heads towards one another. The compressive force imposed on the coupling ring by the clamping jaws as the clamp heads draw together causes the coupling ring to compress inwards.
However, known traditional crimping tools and power-crimping tools alike are generally bulky and cumbersome to use due to the handles or electric motor element extending outward from the crimping section of the tool. In many applications, flexible piping is situated within tight working spaces that spatially prohibit the use of known crimping tools unless the working space is significantly modified. Moreover, such flexible piping is frequently utilized in applications such as indoor plumbing, where the flexible piping, pipe fittings, and corresponding coupling rings are located behind walls, ceilings, or floors. Accordingly, repairs to failed piping elements using known crimping tools often require the removal of large sections of walling, ceiling, flooring, and/or support studs to provide sufficient space for the crimping tool to function. Thus, the design of known crimping often increases the amount of work, time, and cost needed to install or repair piping.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a crimping apparatus capable of working in tight spaces. Moreover, a need exists for a crimping apparatus that reduces the amount of walling, ceiling, flooring, and/or support studs that must be removed in order to crimp a coupling ring located behind a wall, ceiling, or floor. Additionally, a need exists in the art for a method for crimping coupling rings using such an apparatus.